Then with regard to the English Liberal Party, possibly there is no other question upon which they are more united than that of the Welsh Church, and inquiries carefully made in representative quarters reveal the fact that the Liberal Party are not only willing, but are even desirous, that the primary place next Session should be given to the subject. Nothing would better enthuse the large body of Nonconformists for the next General Election; for years they have done much for Liberalism, but up to now have received little it is time something should be done in return.

It has been assumed that the Parish Councils and Employers' Liability Bills will be passed during the autumn sittings this year. "Gag" and "guillotine" are cries which do not terrify or affect the electorate, however much they may delight Mr. Jesse Collings and Mr. T. W. Russell.

The Bill for the Equalisation of Rates for London is now fixed for i894. This, according to the best authorities, cannot occupy much

time.

What portion of the Session a reform of the Registration and Electoral Laws would take would depend of course upon the nature and scope of the Bills. Probably, the simpler the Bills the better; but this matter cannot be discussed here.

In the natural order of political sequence, it would seem that Welsh Disestablishment must have the chief place in the next Queen's Speech. Much will no doubt be heard of the "mandate" of the country. No mandate was ever more clearly given. Lord Salisbury has put this very forcibly with regard to Wales.

"It is notorious (he says) that the Welsh voted for Radical candidates, not for their love of Home Rule, but for their aversion towards the Welsh Church.”*

Lord Salisbury has since seen with what fidelity the Welsh members have adhered to Home Rule-and he may rely upon their doing so again. At the same time, it is perfectly true that at the last election the Welsh nation had set its heart upon Disestablishment being attained in this Parliament; and if it is not proceeded with in the next Session, all hope of its being settled in this Parliament vanishes.

Would this be right? Nothing is clearer than the pledges of the Liberal Party upon the point. It would be tedious to refer in detail to the resolutions passed by the National Liberal Federation at several of

*The National Review, November, 1892, p. 295.

their meetings, and lastly at Newcastle. The Prime Minister may say he is not strictly bound by them; but they were universally acted upon at the General Election throughout the country, and, as he himself has said, "A combination of circumstances has arisen which, as a political demonstration, imposes on the House the duty of looking for the first opportunity which the state of business will permit to carry through the entire work of Disestablishment (in Wales)."*

Is it necessary to look at the other side of the picture, and to ask what will happen next year if the Welsh Question is shelved?

The Resolution which the Welsh Party have passed pledges them in that event to act independently. This decision has been approved by both the Liberal Federations of North and of South Wales.

Some people ask whether it is intended to be acted upon; enemies are apt to say that it contains merely powder, and no shot; while a few friends counsel further patience.

Lord Aberdare has recently published a letter written by him in 1853. the sentiments of which he commends to the Welsh members at this juncture. He says:

"Unless where a great principle is at stake, a balance of public gain and loss ought to be struck as between the immediate success of a particular measure involving the defeat of a good Administration on the one hand, and the evil arising from inflicting disgrace and defeat on that good Administration on the other."

But a great question of principle is here involved; and the mere theoretical approval of a principle by a Government or a party is of little value if it is never to be carried into effect.

To threaten revolt is not pleasant, and perhaps not particularly dignified; but it would not be fair in this case to follow the proverb which says, "Never say you are going to do a thing until you have done it."

It is surely better to state clearly and without equivocation that the representatives of Wales in Parliament must and will accept the responsibility which the situation will place upon them, unless next Session the Government are prepared to redeem their promises to the Welsh people, and to carry out their intention, as expressed by the Prime Minister himself, "to go steadily and boldly forward towards the completion of the task which they have set before them. "+

* Hansard's Debates, February 23rd, 1893, col. 285.

S. T. EVANS.

† Ibid.

THE OPERA IN ENGLAND: SOME MORE NOTES AND REMINISCENCES.

IT

T was very flattering to me that my few notes, reminiscences, and rambling anecdotes of the Opera printed in your last issue should have been found so far acceptable to your readers that you, like Oliver Twist, should ask for more. With a twenty years' experience, which commenced with the stage management of Colonel Mapleson's Provincial Italian Opera Company, until now, when, in my own little domain, I am supposed to be the master of all I survey—as far as the four walls of the opera-house are concerned-I might, like the gentleman with the cork leg, have gone on for ever; if, indeed, I had taken the precaution to keep a diary, which, I venture to say, would have been. of the most extraordinary character.

My great ambition has always been to study every branch of theatrical management, and in the course of my career I have met the most renowned and prominent members of every "line of business" under the theatrical sun; and very amused I have often been,. when one moment discussing my conception of such works as Berlioz' Faust with such an artist as Jean de Reszke, to find myself the next arranging the details of the requirements of another wonderful man in his way, such as the tight-wire dancer, "Caicedo," whose feats are possibly even more astounding than those of the greatest, most artistic, most hard-working, and most conscientious operatic artist it has ever been my good luck to meet.

One of the greatest difficulties a manager has to contend with is the selection of his répertoire and his artists, for the British public in matters. operatic are conservative to the backbone, and while they are tired of the old Trovatores, Sonnambulas, Favoritas, and the like, they take with great difficulty to a new work. The fact is, that in this Protestant country the music in our churches is far beneath the music in the Catholic places of worship, where from their earliest days children hear and get accustomed to music of the highest order, and thus are more ready to

grasp and understand the works of the modern school. In England we have many musical societies and hundreds of choirs, but, generally speaking, they understand more of oratorio and concerts than of operas. Indeed, some folks even now consider it wrong to enter a theatre, the doors of which they look upon as the portals of perdition.

There is a story told of the late E. T. Smith, who, when manager of 'Her Majesty's Opera House, used to engage barrel organs to play and popularise the tunes of an opera he was about to produce. I should not like to vouch for the truth of the story, but it fairly illustrates the difficulty that the public have in grasping melodies and beauties of a new opera with which they are unacquainted. If, therefore, it takes long to judge a work abroad, how much more difficult it is for an opera to gain ..a foothold here! As an instance, Massenet's Manon, which has just achieved its 200th performance at the Opéra Comique, Paris, and is being produced and received with such enthusiasm all over the Continent, in this country is not yet appreciated.

When my father first heard Faust (in Paris), which was condemned by the greatest French critics of the day, he, with the marvellous judgment which he possessed, understood its beauties, and telegraphed to his manager, the late Mr. Frederick Gye, to come over and see it without -delay. The latter, however, agreed with the verdict of the French Press, and complained that he should have been put to the trouble of the journey from London to Paris on what he considered a wild-goose chase, remarking indignantly that there was only one tune in the -opera-the Soldiers' Chorus! Chappell, the English publisher, at this time was much smitten with another opera, and, desiring to purchase it and to oblige the French editors, made a double contract including Faust, which was thrown in, so to speak, for the price of an old songa bit of make-weight; and thus he became the possessor of perhaps the most popular and financially valuable work the musical world has ever known.

Colonel Mapleson has told me how this firm paid him £300 towards the expenses of producing Faust at Her Majesty's. Its success in London was at first doubtful, but the Covent Garden management, by this time having reconsidered the matter, or perhaps being jealous of their rivals in the Haymarket, and in consequence of the insistance of my father, also produced it. In the meantime it had become public property in consequence of the French proprietors not thinking it worth their while to reserve the English rights. Then the success grew

and grew, and, curiously enough, from London Faust's reputation spread all over the world, and it is still one of the stand-bys of all impresarios in all countries.

This is not the only instance of England setting the fashion and saving from oblivion one of many great masterpieces. The same thing took place in the case of Carmen, the unsympathetic reception of which sent Bizet to his grave, a broken-hearted man, within a few months of its production for there can be no doubt the failure of Carmen killed this genius, so great was his disappointment. A man to mix in music must be a philosopher indeed.

Although a beautiful score generally finds its way to the front, many works which deserved a better fate have been spurned, lost, forgotten. The fate of a musical work to a large extent, of course, depends upon the reception accorded to it on its first performance, and it is most curious how many operas produced and played two or three times, being utterly condemned and never heard of again in one country, may become the most popular and standard works in another. No more striking

example can be shown than the fate of the everlasting Dame Blanche in France and our own evergreen Bohemian Girl. How many thousands of times each opera has been performed in its respective country it would be impossible to record, and yet each died at once in the other; and here the power of the Press to make or to mar is most eloquently demonstrated.

As with operas so with artists. The public, before being attracted by one or the other, must have it drummed into them that some great work or great artist has been brought amongst them. Abroad this is not so, and the first performance of a new singer or a new opera is likely to crowd the house.

When I first brought over the De Reszkes, their richly-deserved success was more immediate than is generally the case, but I remember, after the season was over, being introduced to a lady who professed to take an interest in matters operatic, who asked me whether it was not true that I brought over two Russians, or Roumanians, or Poles, who were so excellent, but whose names she had forgotten. I told her that this was so, and expressed my regret that she had not heard them. She told me she had every intention of doing so next season. With Melba the same sort of thing happened, and the first year she came she left in the middle of the season, giving her resignation with tears in her eyes. It is almost invariably enough to put up a new opera to ensure